Days of Heaven
by Eowyn Rivers
Summary: Alternate Universe - Sansa isn't the daughter of Lord and Lady Stark, she lives in Winterfell and works in the fields. One day King Robert and Queen Cersei come to visit Lord Stark. But he hasn't come alone... Will have 3 chapters
1. Chapter 1

You should ABSOLUTELY listen to this while reading. youtube watch?v=OxuvJU0MVaU&feature=youtube_gdata_player

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The sun was slowly rising, its pale light barely allowing Sansa to see the fields. Sat on the dusty ground, she was meticulously cutting the wheat: it wasn't as easy as people thought, taking only the parts they needed. For now she was alone in the limitless northern landscape, patiently waiting for another day of work to be over, for rest at last. The others were still sleeping, enjoying their warm beds, but Sansa appreciated the southern winds of dawn, the rare loneliness she could find here, away from her family. The work was difficult and tiring but still there was in it the fragrance of her imagination, the times she could spend away in exotic countries, in far away lands where summer never ends and her hands know only the touch of velvet and silk. Where she can hear the music play melancholic melodies and see the wonders of a land made of dreams and hopes.  
But here in Winterfell she was doing the only thing she knew, repeating always and always the same gestures, one after another.  
Tonight she would serve Lord Stark and King Robert in the castle, filling with wine the glasses of nobles, cleaning the tables and admiring from afar the knights and ladies.  
"Sansa! Look! The King is already here!" An old woman was showing her horses and soldiers making their way to the castle. She stood up to see them, the men and women she would have to serve tonight. They were magnificent. The red light of dawn giving the landscape a certain innocence, the naive hope of a better day.

They had given her a pretty dress, dark blue with a white apron, maybe the prettiest and most expensive clothe she had ever worn. They had asked her to clean herself and brush her hair in a braid: easier to carry plates and glasses. She was waiting, always waiting, her turn. They had to speak with the steward first to know where and who they would be serving tonight.  
Finally her turn came.  
"Mmm.. You're pretty enough. You will be at the kingsguards table. How old are you?"  
"Sixteen."  
"Be careful girl, when wine fills a man's veins his mind don't see the difference between a prostitute and a girl like you. Hide your hair and don't show your cleavage. Just an advice."  
In the fields where she worked, men often noticed her beauty but as soon as they realized her deep shyness and the cruel sadness in her eyes, they let her go. She was a wild animal to admire from afar, one you need to let live freely and not to put in a cage. If you cut a rose's roots, the rose looses her brightness and dies in an unwanted loneliness.

"Girl! I need more wine!" the men were screaming and singing and drinking and drinking again. King Robert and his wife Queen Cersei were sat on the big table next Lord and Lady Stark. She had already seen them but not as close as today. They were beautiful, surrounded by myrrh and perfumes, with shiny stones around their necks. None of them were smiling except the King. He looked fierce even when he was drunk, like the king of a bunch of other drunk men.  
"Girl!"  
"Sorry sir." She hadn't seen him first, but now he was in front of her, the tallest man she had ever seen with half of his face burn. She couldn't avoid him. She was shivering but the fear caused by the sight of such a man made her breathing heavily. When the glass was filled with arbour red, the man smiled.  
"Are you afraid little girl? Is it my face that makes you breathe like that?" He was making fun of her.  
"Not your face sir. But... You're strong enough to break me in two pieces if you don't like the wine."  
She wasn't lying. He was tall and he could have been handsome without the scar. But still it didn't scare her: it made her think of the heat of her exotic lands where the sun never sets. His face must br as warm as the air of this country...  
"You're lucky I like it then. How old are you?"  
"Sixteen sir."  
"Don't call me sir. Still a maid?"  
"Yes."  
She wasn't blushing, young girls like her were used to that question.  
"If you join me in my chambers tonight you'll have enough money to leave this place forever and buy a small house in Dorne. What do you think?"  
"What is Dorne? What does it look like?"  
"It's as south as men can sail, they say it's the place where men and women travel half naked, the infinite brightness of the sun covering their skin." He was laughing at her. "Doesn't seem too bad no?"  
He was staring at her, but the threatening black eyes had disappeared to let a respectful glance take place.  
"I will come then. But you have to promise me that I will have the money."  
"I promise."

She served countless men and women that night but still she could only see one face, the face of the man who had promised her the sun. She knew what she had to do and not all the fear in the world could turn off the fire of a million of stars burning in her, the holy flame of desire.

"What's your name?"  
He was behind her,his rough voice like a caress.  
"Sansa."  
"Come with me Sansa."  
He took her hand in his and led her in the castle's corridors. He must have been ten years older than her, not more, but there was still a certain innocence in the way looked at her, like he was seeing a precious animal he had to save.  
"Are you afraid?"  
"No."  
Was he talking about him or was he talking about what was going to happen, she didn't know. But still she wasn't afraid.  
The room was dark when she entered it, but as soon as the fragile light of the candle started to shine she saw the warm furs and the comfortable bed. She had never had such a bed. Only the remains of one she had to share with her little sister Marian.  
"Help me."  
She slowly took off his armor, taking time not to hurt him. She had patience in everything and tonight more than ever.  
When there was nothing else but his shirt to cover his large body she began to take off her dress.  
"No. Don't. Take off the cloth that cover your hair first."  
As she was asked she removed the white fabric to let her auburn hair fall down her shoulders. It was no longer a braid, giving it the impression of calm waves surrounding her face. Taking a piece of it in his hands he put a small kiss on her cheek, a shy one, an innocent one.  
"Take off your dress but keep your small clothes." When she was done she leaned toward him and murmured "I don't know know what to do"  
"Getting in the bed would be a good start."  
The sheets were warm and clean, smelling like lily...  
"Still not afraid?"  
"No."  
"I won't hurt you."  
"You don't have to lie."  
"I won't."  
No man had touched her before him. His hands were caressing her neck and arms, her hair and her face, slowly removing the thin fabric covering her body. Her breast was small, even for her age, but he didn't seem to mind. He was exploring her body inch by inch, like a whole new world offered to his senses.  
"What do you see?"  
"What are you saying girl?"  
"What do you see when you touch me? Do you see a river? Do you see rich fabrics or a rocky mountain? What does it feel when you put your hand on my skin?"  
"Why do you ask girl?"  
"I want to know."  
"I see... I see an ocean in your eyes. I see flames in your hair, coldly burning for me. I see the northern snows of winter covering the landscape on your skin. I don't see rocky mountains, little bird, but I see flowers, ill flowers." He wasn't used to saying to things, how odd was it for him. And yet every word seemed like the ones fit to describe what he was seeing._ This is no usual girl._  
He kissed her lips this time, taking time to feel her in his mouth, to let his tongue discover hers. She put her hands on his back, taking off the white shirt. His shoulders were strong and full of scars but they felt hot against her palm.  
The two bodies were about to make one. It was no longer a shy embrace, but a passionate one..  
"Tell me about Dorne... Speak... Speak again..."  
The silver moonlight was now covering the two lovers, letting them live a dream made of melancholic hopes and sad ambitions.

_Even the oddest couple has the right to love each other far from voyeuristic eyes... It is time for us to leave our two protagonists to their sweet embraces..._


	2. For here our tears moisten the very clay

The sun was at its highest, enlightening the workers. Sansa was, like every day, cutting the wheat among other men and women, sat in the fields. But at the end of the day, when there was only her left, he came. They didn't speak, they didn't share a meal or make plans about the future. No. He gave her money. And then he would kiss her and make love to her in the fields. She knew she shouldn't take money from him, but he had promised her the sun.. They stayed together for a while, laying in each other's arms, staring at the sky. She knew he would leave her soon enough, but the precious moments spent together, she would cherish them forever. "Will you come with me to Dorne?" "I cannot little bird" "Why are you calling me little bird?" "You are like a bird in a cage, longing for unknown lands." "Fly away with me then." "I don't have a choice." "We always have a choice." He had found someone who liked him and she had found the way to leave the North. And still. There was no sensuality between them: he was a tough man and she was a tough girl. She would get rid of her clothes in a second and then jump under the covers to protect herself from the cold. They were no king or queen and the only money she had, she kept it for Dorne. If you asked her about her feelings for him she wouldn't answer you. Love was such an unknown concept, and the bond between them so odd. They didn't really talk to one another, they had nothing to say to each other. Sometimes words seem too much, like they could break this fragile illusion of happiness...

Sandor was with Queen Cersei, waiting in front of the door for an unknown and improbable threat, waiting as the hours went by. His watch ended at 9 p.m today: then one of the knights of the Kingsguard would take his place. He only had fifteen minutes left when the screams started. "STOP! STOP! PLEASE DON'T! STOP! STOP!" Cersei stood up from her chair where she was reading and said "Clegane! Stay with me and the children! Boros! Go to Joffrey's bedroom! Meryn! Go and see what's happening! Come back quickly to tell me!" Holding Tommen and Myrcella against her, she had never looked so scared and yet fearless. Sandor knew that if someone tried to hurt her children, he would regret it. Cersei was not a model of kindness but she loved her children, the fierce lioness of the rock, and nothing could stop her from protecting them. Nothing. "Clegane, I know you never swore an oath, but here I ask you..." The screams were louder and louder, men, women, children... "Protect us with your life." He looked at her and then at the children. Tommen was crying silently, like a prince, and Myrcella stood still, like her mother: a true lioness. "I swear I will" The door opened suddenly to reveal a panicked Meryn. In a gaze, Cersei made him understand not to look scared, not to frighten the children. "M'lady, wildlings have entered Winterfell. Benjen Stark arrived to warn Lord Eddard but it was too late... The King is alive, Lord Eddard and his family too, but some of our knights are dead and people working in the castle too."

"Where are my brothers? Where are Tyrion and Jaime? Tell me!"

"Jaime is fighting with the others, Tyrion has been hurt by an arrow, he's ok I believe."

"But what is happening? Are you killing them? Who is winning?"

"For now... They are M'lady. I'd advise you to stay here, hidden."

Sandor could only think of Sansa, somewhere in Winterfell. Maybe she was hiding in the numerous rooms of the castle. Maybe they had caught her or killed her... No. She was strong, too strong. Once he had taught her how to strangle a man and how to kill someone with a sword, he hoped she hadn't needed to use those skills.

All night long Sandor stayed with the Queen and the children, protecting the door from the wildlings. He could hear them fighting outside. He was a warrior, he had to protect them, be there for them, but still his mind was far away. With her.

"Are they going to hurt us?" Tommen was half asleep in his mother's arms, on the large bed of the room.

"Sandor is here to protect us my love, and I am here too. Right Sandor?"

He wasn't used to children, yet he liked them. How can such sweet creatures exist in such a twisted world?

"I will protect you, you, your sister and your mother. You have nothing to fear from them."

Tommen smiled and went back to sleep.

"Thank you" Cersei smiled to him. The first time in years.

Together they waited for hours, until Meryn came in the room with King Robert and Lord Eddard. Robert ran to his family and took his children in his arms: it was such an unusual behavior for him... Sandor could swear he had seen a tear in Cersei's eyes.

"Lord Stark's family is safe, Joffrey is safe too. Jaime is a bit hurt, but nothing serious. Tyrion is fine now. Clegane, I know you haven't slept and that you protected my family you can go rest now" Then he added, whispering "Be careful with the corpses."

The hall was, indeed, full of them. Everywhere, dead bodies of women, men and children were covering the corners of the room. But none of them was Sansa's. He walked and walked, looking in every room of the castle, until he found in one of the bedroom of the last room, Sansa and one of Lady Catelyn's handmaiden. The girl, Hannah, was asleep.

"I thought you were dead!" She was crying in his arms

"Never, little bird, never..."

_"But I'm in so deep, you know I'm such a fool for you, you got me wrapped around your finger. Do you have to let it linger? Do you have to, do you have to? Do you have to let it linger?_"

She was singing a song she liked._ Songs are not only words_, she had told him,_ they're an emotion._

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_The song is Linger by the Cranberries_


End file.
